Moldova heads presidential run-off with 54 percent of eligible voters

Moldova headed the second round of elections on Sunday, and according to preliminary results of the run-off voting, Alexandr Stoianoglo is ahead of his pro-Western opponent Maia Sandu by about 3.6% of the vote.

Azernews reports, citing the local media that polls closed on Sunday at 19:00 GMT by Chisinau time, by which time 1.68 million people – about 54 percent of eligible voters – had cast ballots, according to the Central Electoral Commission.

Recall that Maia Sandu secured 42 percent in the first round of the election held on October 20, but failed to win an outright majority. Her challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general came second with 26 percent of the votes.

Some sources report that the first round of the elections in Moldova was heavily influenced by Western forces, and as a result, most of the votes were distorted in favour of Sandu in the evening hours.